Can opener



R. A. ARAUJO May 9, 1961 CAN OPENER Filed Dec. 23, 1958 INVENTOR. 19/091900 J4. Ala m/0 flrroen/sy.

United States Patent F CAN OPENER Ricardo A. Araujo, Hollywood, Calif. (1032 N. NormandieAve Los Angeles 29, Calif.)

Filed Dec. 23, 1958, Ser. No. 782,491

1 Claim. (Cl. 30-16) This invention relates to can openers and particularly to can openers of the type generally used for opening cans of liquid such as beer, frozen juices and so forth.

When opening such a can with the pry bar type of can opener in common use, it is necessary to firmly grip the can in one hand and the can opener in the other. This is sometimes inconvenient as for instance where one hand is injured or otherwise occupied.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a can opener which may be manipulated in the opening of a can with one hand.

In order to pour liquid from a hole made in one side of the top of a can, it is convenient to have an air hole formed in the opposite side of the top of the can to admit air into the can while the liquid is pouring from the larger hole in the top.

It is another object of the invention to provide a can opener which forms a liquid pouring hole in the top of a can and simultaneously therewith provides an air hole in the top of said can.

The can opener in common use for forming a pouring hole in the top of a can forms a triangular hole with one of the sides of the triangle disposed along the side of the can. When drinking from a can having a hole thus formed therein, the application of the mouth to the side of the can along which said hole is formed is sometimes difi'icult.

It is an object of the invention therefore to provide a can opener for forming a pouring hole in the top of a can which will form said hole with an apex of said hole adjacent the pouring edge of the can thereby facilitating drinking liquid from the can through said hole.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention turned bottom side up to reveal the structure thereof.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a can showing the can opener illustrated in Fig. .1 positioned as in the first stage of forming a hole in a can.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and illustrates the completion of the operation of forming a pouring hole in the can with said can opener which results simultaneously in the formation of an air hole in said can.

Fig 4 is a plan view of a can after a pouring hole and an air hole have been simultaneously formed in the top thereof as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the top of the can illustrating the can opener shown in Fig. 5 in an initial phase of its operation in forming a pouring hole and an air hole in said can.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the completion of the operation of forming a pouring hole and an air hole in said can.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the can operated on by thecan and the air hole formed in said can by said can opener.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the; preferred form of the invention. shown in Fig. l comprisesa can opener 10 including a body 11 formed of a length of flat strap metal having a short reinforcing -secti0n-12 bent at about a 45 angle-from one'end, a fulcrum lug 13 outstruck from the body 11 adjacent saidsection'and an air hole spur 14 outstruck in the same direction from said body and spaced some distance from the fulcrum lug 13. I

A pouring hole cutter 15 having a goose-neck. double bend 16 formed therein toprovide a welding base; 17 is secured to the body 11 by spot welding the base '17. to the body with the cutter 15 pointed towards the fulcrum lug 13 and spaced therefrom as shown in Fig. 1.

In order to use the can opener 10 on a can 18 having a top 1-9 secured'to said can by a crirnped bead 20, the can opener 10 is positioned over said bead with the latter disposed between the fulcrum lug 13 and the tip of the pouring hole cutter 15 and the can opener is pushed downwardly over the bead into the position shown in Fig. 2 in which the point of the cutter punctures the top 19 of the can and the fulcrum lug 13 is positioned under the outer portion of the bead 20. This can be done with the can 18 resting on a table or any fiat surface and with the can opener 10 held in one hand. After the can opener has been positioned as shown in Fig. 2 the can opening operation can be completed merely by swinging the can opener 10 downwardly about the fulcrum lug 13 by applying the weight of the hand to the body 1 1, this motion concluding with the can opener in horizontal position as shown in Fig. 3. This causes the pouring hole cutter 15 to be forced downwardly through the can top 19 forming a pouring hole 21 and also causes the air hole cutter spur 14 to penetrate the can top 19 and form an air hole 22. g

It is to be noted that the pouring hole 21 formed by the can opener 10 is triangularly shaped and the point or apex 23 of this hole is disposed adjacent the can bead 20. The hole 21 is thus conveniently adapted to the shape of the mouth of a personapplied thereto in drinking liquid from the can 18 after it has been opened by the can opener 10 as above described. I

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 5 as embodied in a can opener 30 including a body 31 formed of a section of strap metal. This form of the can opener of the invention has a pouring hole cutter 32 formed on one end of the body 31 and a fulcrum lug 33 outstruck from the body adjacent the cutter 32 and then the end section 34 of the body 31 which includes the cutter 32 and lug 33 is reversely bent on said body and the bight formed by said reverse bend is bent at an angle of 45 from the body 31 as shown in Fig. 5, for reinforcing purposes.

An air-hole-forming spur 36 is outstruck from the body 31 in spaced relation with the cutter 32 as clearly shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. A bafile disc 37 is assembled with the body 31 by bending the section 34 reversely, snugly against disc 37 so as to pinch said disc flat against the body 31 and then, if desired, spot welding said disc to the body. y

In opening a can 38 having a top 39 secured thereto by a bead 40, the can opener 30 is applied downwardly over said bead as shown in Fig. 6 so as to positionthe fulcrum lug 33 under the bead 40 and the can opener is then rocked to cause the cutter 32 to penetrate the can top 39. Completion of the operation of opening the can 38 with the can opener 30 is effected by continuing the rocking movement of the can opener until this is located in horizontal position as shown in Fig. 7. This completes 2,983,040, v Patented Ma o; 19 1 p 1 the formation of a pouring hole 41 in the can top 39 and forces the spur 36 downwardly through the top to form an air hole 42 therein. The can opener 30 is then removed from the can 38 by a reverse rotation of the can opener about the fulcrum lug 33. It is to be noted that the hole 41 is triangular and that one of the sides 43 thereof is approximately parallel with the adjacent portion of the head 40 of the can 33 which is the type of hole commonly formed by beer can openers in present use.

The claim is:

In a can opener, the combination of: a relatively flat body of strap metal; a flat splash guard disc lying flat against said body and pinched thereagainst by an end section of said body being reversely bent relative to the balance of said body so as to lie snugly against said disc; a pointed pouring hole cutter being formed on the free extremity of said section and being bent outwardly from the balance of said section and from said disc; and a fulcrum forming hook lug outstruck from said section between said reverse bend and said cutter with said hook lug facing said cutter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

